University of Kansas Medical Center

The Kansas Board of Regents has selected Dr. Doug Girod to be the next chancellor of the University of Kansas. Girod has been serving as the head of the KU Medical Center for the last four years.

The regents held a special meeting in Lawrence Thursday to make the announcement.

“Dr. Girod is the right person for this time of transition. His 23 years of service are a testament to Dr. Girod’s love and commitment to KU," said Regents Chair Zoe Newton. "He will honor KU’s traditions and history while leading this great university into the future."

Wichita State University will award an honorary doctorate to Wichita physician Dr. Donna Sweet during the university's fall commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 13. This marks the first time since 1988 that an honorary degree has been given at WSU.

WSU President John Bardo selected Dr. Sweet to receive the award in recognition of her 35 years of service to patients with HIV/AIDS. In a release from the University, Bardo said that Sweet has changed the world with her scholarship and her heart. Sweet says she was flattered and honored by his statement.

Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a bill that will establish a stem cell research center at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The new facility would work with adult stem cells and cells taken from umbilical cord blood.

Brownback signed the bill during a ceremony Monday at the Statehouse. He was joined by people who have successfully undergone medical treatments using stem cells.

The Veterans Administration and the University of Kansas Medical Center plan to provide more telemedicine access for Kansas veterans.

Officials from the VA and the medical center said Tuesday the effort will allow veterans to access mental health care without traveling great distances to a VA facility.

The effort began two years ago as a pilot program between the VA and the Kansas Medical Center facility in Garden City. Contracts are being worked out to first expand the access to two more facilities in rural Kansas.